Feline Herpe Virus

[Rustic Lily]

1. Hi all, I've been reading your posts for a while and finally decided to join, since this seems to be WAY better then google, with actual results, trials and some errors. Haha. My sweet Abbysinian boy Doodie (nick name that just stuck) is 11, but in amazing health and still acts like he's 5. Unfortunately about 3 years ago he started mouth pulling and pawing at his mouth and gaging after a while of this inconsistent behavior, we went to the vet. Ugh. It was tramatic. But the vet came back with either the calici virus or herpes. Great. He has heathy gums and teeth but lysions on his tongue mainly in the back. He suggested lysine. Which we've been on now for a year. Still paws at his mouth and flare ups. After reading all your posts on this, I've realized lysine isn't cutting it. I've tried upper respiratory drops which help when he starts his coughing episodes and sometimes give him a small amount of coconut oil which helps soothe his mouth. Now I'm reading from you guys, Lactoferrin. Which now I want to try. I found the larrow brand, one suggested, but how do I dose it. Doodie only weighs 9 pounds, so don't want to over do it. Plus he is very sensitive to dairy. He is an eater and LOVES his all canned high quality food, so adding things to his food should be no problem. I'm trying to find him some comfort with his flare ups.

 

[Furballsmom]

hi - I have no experience with this but I'm bumping this in hopes that others will chime in. Hang in there

 

[lacy2000]

Here is a thread from 2013 about someone who gave their cat lactoferrin. They gave 125 mg in morning and 125 mg at night. They also made sure it was bovine lactoferrin, not human lactoferrin. The brand was Jarrow. Stubborn herpes infection? Add Lactoferrin in addition to Lysine

I personally have never dealt with it, but there seem to be many others who have had success with it! Let us know how it goes!

 

[cheeser]

Buddy goes through phases where he tolerates Jarrow lactoferrin quite well, and he does much better during those times. Then suddenly one day it seems to make him feel a little queasy. He'll start licking his lips a lot, won't be as enthusiastic about eating, and sometimes he'll throw up.

So we'll switch to 4Life Transfer Factor Classic for awhile, or just give him a break from the lactoferrin for a bit, and then try it again later.

Oh, and for what it's worth...

Buddy gets the most painful looking mouth sores during flare ups, and we've found that slippery elm bark syrup does wonders for helping them to heal much faster. But sometimes Manuka honey works better. If there's anything I've learned from having a cat with FIV, FHV, food allergies, etc., it's how to be flexible.

 

[Rustic Lily]

OK thank you. I'll definitely look into the slippery elm bark. Ya I'm hoping it will help since lysine isn' doing much, or anything really. I just bought the jarrow brand of lactoferrin but I believe it' for humans. Was that the wrong stuff? It' just so frustrating that vets don' really help and want to throw prescriptions instead of remedies, just like doctors. I'l keep doing research.

 

[lacy2000]

The thread I linked above said she personally confirmed with Jarrow that their lactoferrin was bovine, not human, so I think your ok with that brand. I’m not sure what the difference is between bovine and human lactoferrin, but if other people have said Jarrow works for cats, then it’s probably ok.

 

[Furballsmom]

Sending tons of good thoughts your way!

 

[cheeser]

OK thank you. I'll definitely look into the slippery elm bark. Ya I'm hoping it will help since lysine isn' doing much, or anything really. I just bought the jarrow brand of lactoferrin but I believe it' for humans. Was that the wrong stuff? It' just so frustrating that vets don' really help and want to throw prescriptions instead of remedies, just like doctors. I'l keep doing research.

If this is the lactoferrin you bought, ya done good.

Most of Buddy's supplements are marketed for humans, and I have to confess, we've been known to raid his purr-sonal medicine cabinet on a few occasions for our own use. Hee!

We've had the best luck with this recipe from Tanya's site to make slippery elm bark syrup. But of course, it's always best to run these sorts of things by your vet first.

I understand your frustration all too well. It took us a few tries to finally find a vet who's more open-minded about supplements and holistic remedies.

 

[catsknowme]

I highly recommend adding slippery elm bark AND marshmallow root decoctions to his soft foods. Both of these herbs are soothing and healing to inflamed membranes for many situations: mouth ulcers, bladder and kidney problems, diarrhea, breathing. Your veterinarian should always be consulted - my vet grew is a rancher's daughter so like me, she was raised using traditional medicines alongside conventional treatments. When I ask about some herb that she is not familiar with, she researches it.

 

[Rustic Lily]

Thank you all for all your feed back. It really helps put my mind at ease and also to know I'm not alone. This is the first site ive come across where people actually have the same problems and syptoms with their fur babies. The lactoferrin is in capsule form so I'm thinking of starting a half of a half of the capsule to start and see how he reacts. Because not sure otherwise how to get measurements from it?? I'm hoping for no vomitt, fingers crossed. I will definitely look at the elm bark and marshmallow recipe for extra relief. Do you only give when they have flare ups?

 

[catsknowme]

Traditionally, herbs are given for two weeks at therapeutic doses then a decreased maintenance dose for another week. If symptoms worsen, then go back to the effective dosing for three days and monitor for effectiveness. After the three days, try reducing the dosing again. The herbs are supposed to be helping the body heal itself; they are also used for comfort and symptom relief while waiting for conventional meds to take effect. The nice thing about herbs is flexibility - 1 tablespoon daily can be given a few drops at a time over snacks & food OR via the water dish over the course of the day or all at once in a meal or squirted in the mouth. For symptom relief such as cramps, sense of urgency, mucus membrane pain, the dose can be increased or the decoction strengthened until relief is achieved. It is a good idea to consult a holistic vet or herbalist if your own vet is not giving you adequate advice.

 

[cheeser]

Thank you all for all your feed back. It really helps put my mind at ease and also to know I'm not alone. This is the first site ive come across where people actually have the same problems and syptoms with their fur babies. The lactoferrin is in capsule form so I'm thinking of starting a half of a half of the capsule to start and see how he reacts. Because not sure otherwise how to get measurements from it?? I'm hoping for no vomitt, fingers crossed. I will definitely look at the elm bark and marshmallow recipe for extra relief. Do you only give when they have flare ups?

If Buddy has been doing pretty well lately re: his various health issues, I tend to start anything new as conservatively as possible for a few days to make sure he tolerates it well. Then I gradually increase it until we get to the recommended maintenance dose. So sometimes that means just a sprinkle or a drop or two at first.

However, if a flare up suddenly sneaks up on us and we want to hurry up and get a handle on it, by golly, if the vet says we can give safely give 'x' amount of something new, I'm gonna do it!

We give Buddy a maintenance dose of L-lysine and lactoferrin every day, and only bump up the dosage during flare ups, or when we can pretty much anticipate one. Oh, say like when a hurricane is heading our way, and we know he's going to be more stressed than usual.

We usually only give him the slippery elm bark syrup during herpes flare ups, or whenever he has any other problem that responds well to it, e.g., constipation, hairballs, etc. So here lately, it has almost become part of his daily routine. I just have to get myself better organized so I can remember to give the SEB syrup a couple of hours after his usual meds and supplements.

But that's merely my personal preference. You need to do what works best for your cat, and sometimes that can be finding another vet who's more knowledgeable and supportive about these sorts of things.

Hope Doodie is feeling better soon, and please keep us updated about his progress!

 

[Rustic Lily]

Thanks guys for the herb advice. Im waiting for the lactoferrin to show up and figure how much to start him on and pray for no vomiting and some relief. I'll probably start with that then go from there. He can be sensitive and like I said only 9 pounds so dosage can be tricky. I'll keep you posted on progress. I'm just so happy I joined the cat site and finally found people with some of the same struggles. We still have no idea how he contracted the "herpe" virus since he is the only cat in the house, and thank god it can't be transmitted to our dog. That would be so much more work. Ugh. Thanks again

 

[Furballsmom]

we are SO glad you came here!! Hang in there!!

 

[catsknowme]

Thank you for the update - please keep them coming! I will be following this thread with great interest. I had not heard of lactoferrin until now.

 

[Rustic Lily]

Hi guys. So I got the lactoferrin in the mail today. It' capsules 250mg per capsule. Obviously I'm going to start out very small dose to see how he reacts, but should I do just a sprinkle of half of the capsule, I was going to only start it once at night, since that' when he mostly mouth pulls ( what I call it) every other night or 2 to start, and if he reacts well work up to over a few weeks a sprinkle in the am and a sprinkle in the pm. Mind you he only weighs 9 pounds, so things hit him quick. I'm really hoping for no vomit or runny poops. He is sensitive to dairy, which I like that this technically isnt. I'm out of town the next 2 days so I'll start it when I get back. Mommy needs to monitor closely on her baby I'll let you know how it goes and any extra advice helps